


Breaking Free

by fantasticfabrications



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Alternate Universe - Post-War, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Awkwardness, College, Developing Relationship, Eventual Romance, Falling In Love, Future Fic, Loneliness, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-War, Tokyo (City), University
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-27
Updated: 2014-12-29
Packaged: 2018-02-21 05:45:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2457026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fantasticfabrications/pseuds/fantasticfabrications
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tachibana Makoto was tired. Tired of everything. Tired to smiling, tired of laughing, tired of putting on an act to please those around him. Makoto was tired of being someone he was not, tired of doing things he didn’t want to do, and ultimately tired of the unyielding pressure.</p>
<p>Nanase Haru had everything and yet nothing at all. He was going through the motions, studying and learning but not knowing, and yearning silently for something more. Haru wasn’t quite sure what ‘more’ was, but he figured he would know it when it happened.</p>
<p>In a world where your path is outlined by adolescence and deviating from that path is frowned upon, two lost souls find each other by coincidence. One is a young man burdened by the expectations of his family, friends, and mentors, and the other a man moving against the currents of society’s views. Before they met they were alone, but now, together, they can withstand the world and overcome the obstacles in their way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The War that Destroyed the World wasn't the end of planet Earth, but it was the end of the world as humanity had known it. The good that came from the war was The Arrangement, the treaty that outlined the power sectors and gave the world universal rules and guidelines.

**The War**

_The Arrangement was set up in January of the year 2020, six months after the treaties ending the Ultimate War, the War That Destroyed the World, were signed. There were no true victors. There were only the living and the dead._

_A falling out between former Russia and former United States of America started the war, with China quick to jump in for its own profit. Britain and France fought with the States; Germany, Italy, and the Middle Eastern countries with Russia, who promised power and money. Asia was divided. China, Japan, India, and Vietnam eventually sided with Russia. Korea and Thailand joined forces with the Western Nations. South American countries fought among themselves, brother against brother, on which side would come out victorious and which side was worth dying for._

_In the end, the side known for its democracy was defeated. Bombs rained down on New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Paris, and London, bombs dedicated to wiping out as many people as possible. End the war by destroying the people funding your enemies. It wasn’t just one side that was hurt; no, it was the entire world that suffered. Radiation killed millions, the explosions just as many, and the world was on the brink of annihilation._

_A group met in secret, all leaders from Russia, China, Germany, Italy, and the other Russian allies. They came up with an ultimatum: surrender and agree to The Arrangement, or be destroyed. The New Alliance agreed to end the war on the terms outlined in The Arrangement._

_._

_._

_._

_A portion of The Arrangement reads as follows:_

**_ The Arrangement _ **

**__ **

**_ The Sectors _ **

**_Healers are to treat those in need. Healers must work for the Good of All, dedicated to protecting lives and fixing those damaged by the war. Radiation is to be treated first. There are no exceptions._ **

**_Empaths are to calm and reassure. They are to keep the peace and council the citizens in ways to mend broken bridges. There are no exceptions._ **

**_Elementals are to rebuild and fix the environment. The air is to be cleaned, the oceans unpolluted, the earth turned and given more nutrients to grow food, and the debris from the battles to be burned. There are no exceptions._ **

**_Marvels are to keep the spirits of the people up. Dance, theater, music, and literature is allowed, as long as it abides by the Rules of the New World Order. The Ultimate War is not to be spoken of in any form of a Marvel’s work. There are no exceptions._ **

**_Techs are to improve the New World Order with their work on rebuilding technology. Following the codes outlined in the Rules of the New World Order, Techs are to fix damaged machinery and create a new network of computers for the Good of All. There are no exceptions._ **

**_._ **

**_._ **

**_._ **

**_ The Ruling Council sets these guidelines forward in The Arrangement: _ **

**_Respect your city Governor (for he or she knows best)_ **

**_Respect your mentors (for they are wiser with age)_ **

**_Follow your power’s path (for it will guide you to enlightenment)_ **

**_Use your power for the Good of All (for the good that is done returns to the source in time)_ **

**_Two children are ideal for families (for more drains resources and less shrinks the population)_ **

**_Relationships are recommended to be between a man and woman (for common normalcy)_ **

**_._ **

**_._ **

**_._ **

The war ended, and so did the talk about it. The war was not be mentioned in literature, historical novels, any forms of entertainment, or in public conversation. In homes, if the war was even mentioned at all, was in hushed tones.

 

Besides the new names of former countries and cities and the broken families, the war seemed to be almost non-existent. It seemed that the former Japan had always been Zone 16, the capital city Atarashii Tokyo, and none claimed otherwise. The scars from the war ran deep, but to keep peace the people ignored the pain of lost homes and family members lost in the fighting. They learned to bury the hurt and the anger to avoid trouble.

 

Cities were rebuilt. Fields were plowed. People that could be healed were healed… Physically, at least. The world moved forward, some Zones faster than others, and by the year 2050, most everything—and most everyone—found a way to be fixed.

_**.** _

_**.** _

_**.** _

In a small town called Iwatobi (damaged only minimally in the war), there is a family by the name of Tachibana. The father is a water Elemental, the mother an earth Elemental, and there are three children: Makoto (the eldest), and the younger twins, Ren and Ran.

 

As powers are partially genetic (having a certain power in one’s family makes it more likely for future generations to have that same power), it was thought that Makoto, once his power Flared, would be an elemental. Despite the likelihood that his power would be like his parents’, Makoto ended up differently. Perhaps, just maybe, he would have had an easier time if his power had been like his father’s or mother’s. Perhaps he would have had a happier young adult life if things had been different. But alas, powers cannot be changed, and Makoto was raised to accept his power and never wish for anything else.

 

A simple timeline will, possibly, make Makoto’s life changing events more clear. It is as follows: In the year 2032, Tachibana Makoto was born. His power flared in 2045 at age thirteen. The story of Makoto’s discovery of himself begins in 2050, where Makoto is attending the university in Atarashii Tokyo.

 

Still, while university is terribly important, it is necessary to first understand Makoto’s childhood, in order to fully grasp his current life. After all, how could one know anything without some prior knowledge? While this story takes place in Makoto’s first years on his own, it begins with Makoto’s first discovery of his power.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote up some background on this world sooo I hope this works since I'm trying to change the order of the chapters whoops lol xD  
> If anyone wants to tell me if things aren't clear or if some more detail should be added, that would be wonderful. Also, I have never ever written a futuristic dystopia so I have literally no clue what I'm doing. Please review! I really would like to hear what everyone thinks!  
> My playlist for this chapter was pretty much Adrisaurus's Hunger Games songs and Leaves From the Vine from AtLA....


	2. Childhood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An introduction to Makoto's childhood.

Makoto was thirteen when his power flared. His siblings had been playing and Ren fell and hit his head. Makoto ran to his brother, gently inspecting the gash and wincing at the blood, and ran his fingers around the injury. The blood stopped. The skin knit itself back together. Ren sat up and smiled, no longer in pain.

“How did you do that Mako?” Ran had asked, tugging at his sleeve. Her eyes had been wide with awe.

“Yeah!” Ren had chimed in, eager to ask questions like his twin. “How’d you do that? I feel perfect now!”

Makoto didn’t have an answer for his younger siblings at that moment. He didn’t have a response until his tests came back positive for healing powers. Based on his energy level he could heal basic injuries, cuts and scrapes and bruises, and with that came the expectations that he would use his power for good and eventually go to medical school. That’s what Makoto’s teachers said at least, his teachers and his swimming coach, and while his parents were more open to other possibilities they still hoped for his success in a field he enjoyed and where his power was put to use.

And that was expected. People with healing abilities (“Healers”) learned medicine so they could help people always, even when their powers ran out. Empaths worked as counselors and mentors, Elementals were firemen, lifeguards, pilots, and farmers, Marvels worked with art, music, and theater—they were the entertainers—along with literature, and Techs worked with machinery, computers, and the ever changing and advancing technology. Each person knew their place in the Arrangement by their power.

Of course, there were Mavericks, those that choose to follow other paths of career that didn’t relate to their power. They weren’t exactly scorned, but they weren’t loved by the majority of the citizens. Seen as abandoning their rightful place, Mavericks would hide their powers, many times lie about them, to get the jobs they wanted and not the job they were to be pressured into.

Makoto wondered sometimes what it would be like, to be one of the rebels, to choose to leave the sciences and maths behind. His power might have been made for that, but Makoto had difficulty with those subjects. He didn’t like biology, chemistry, algebra, calculus, any of that. Sure, Makoto did well enough, but he studied for hours to get the grades that he still barely managed to achieve. 

He resented his power sometimes, but then he would chastise himself, because being a Healer was a noble profession, one that was well respected. So what if he was a bit unhappy? Makoto would do what he could to please his family. He would be a Healer. He would get a steady and well-paying job. Makoto would marry a girl that his family approved of. They’d probably have the recommended two children, probably have a cat or two, and maybe they’d settle in some smaller town where Makoto could advance in the ranks of a smaller hospital.

Makoto knew all this, but he couldn’t picture himself ever truly happy. He could picture the hospital, the smell of too-clean everything, the white, white, forever white walls, helping people recover, and returning home every night physically exhausted from using his power too much… It wasn’t a nice thought. Yes, Makoto liked helping people, and he often did it at his own expense, but living his life by giving away himself wasn’t appealing. He’d waste away. He was sure of that.

Still, Makoto continued with his science courses and his math courses and worked hard and slept little. At eighteen he was accepted into a large university and he left his family so he could follow the path that he had been put on. It was expected. It was tradition. Follow your powers, many people said, and you will find yourself. Makoto had spent years trying to believe that saying, but the belief had never come. He wondered if he even could believe in anything at this point.

He would go to university. He would graduate with a degree in hand, healing power ready to be used, life set on track... He would do these things because they were all he could do. Makoto looked to his future with a heavy heart and discouraged thoughts. He wondered how long it would take for him to fully die inside. Everything was wrong, wrong, wrong, but yet everyone else only saw things as right, and Makoto found there was no escape from the expectations that doused him in ice cold water and left him choking for air. Makoto could not breathe easily, a pressure on his shoulders and lungs, and he hadn't breathed easily since he was thirteen. The brunette couldn't even remember the feeling of freedom. All that was left for Makoto was the rocky path along the mountain's edge, where one wrong step would send him plummeting to his doom, that ended in a dead end cliff anyway, so why did it matter if he fell off somewhere along the way? 

It didn't matter in the end. Still, Makoto was a coward, and, as he balanced on the line of reality and disconnection to the world, he leaned toward the safety of routine and made for the goals others had set for him. Makoto had long since given up on what he wanted for himself. He didn't count in the end. He was just a small part of the Arrangement. If his power could heal, even at the cost of himself, Makoto would do what needed to be done. He had resigned himself to that long ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so this is good, the formatting worked, please review because reviews make my world go around :) Let me know what you guys think of everything, ok? What you like or don't like, what needs to be improved upon, anything you're thinking... xD


	3. Notice

Hey everyone. This is Fantasticfabrication's cousin. Um, I found her password book, and I'm sending out this message on all of her writing accounts.. Fabrica's sick. Like, hospital sick, extreme treatment needed sick, and she isn't well enough to write. I'm not sure when she'll be back. Please, if you're religious, please pray for her. And if you're not, please send good thoughts her way. Thanks for being understanding.   
Sincerely,  
Firefly

**Author's Note:**

> I don't even know what I'm doing but ok this just appeared in my head so I'm writing it. The main song I wrote to was Never from Footloose... Let's see, what else, umm please leave a review! I don't know if this is honestly worth continuing or if it's just another one of my average ideas to be brushed aside... so yeahhh. Thanks for reading ^_^


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